Minneapolis Greenprint Report

posted May 5, 2012, 12:42 PM by Liang Yue

In
April the City released its annual report on key environmental
indicators. The Greenprint report is a subset of the City’s
SustainabilityIndicators and lays out measurable environmental
sustainability goals and annually tracks the City’s progress toward
meeting them. Minneapolis sustainability indicators, data and policies
are helping systematically make Minneapolis a cleaner, healthier, more
efficient city.

Key results include:· Climate change pollution decreased more than 12 percent between 2006 and 2010..· Healthy
food became easier to access with expanded food assistance and Market
Bucks (coupons for free produce) available at the West Broadway Outdoor
Market, Brian Coyle and Augsburg farmers markets in 2011. Midtown
Farmers Market, Minneapolis Farmers Market and Northeast Minneapolis
Farmers Market also continued to accept food assistance. Between May
2010 and November 2011, the markets made a combined total of more than
$90,000 in food assistance sales and Market Bucks redemptions, showing
that healthy food is making it into lower-income households and federal
food support has improved healthy foods and the local economy.· With
Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, the City completed a two-year, $4
million federally funded green jobs training and job placement project.
Over its two years, Renewable Energy Networks Empowering Workers (RENEW)
trained 585 workers
in green credentialing programs in manufacturing, construction,
building systems, and renewable energy, and placed more than 300 of them
in jobs.· A City-sponsored energy efficiency program has served more than 4,000
Minneapolis homes and created or retained more than 26 permanent jobs.
About 950 of the Minneapolis households that have had a home visit have
completed major energy efficiency upgrades.· In 2011, 37 miles
of on-street bikeways were added including bike lanes, marked shared
lanes and four bicycle boulevard corridors. Minneapolis now has a total
of 167 miles of on-street and off-street bikeways. 2011 also saw a 21
percent increase in cyclists.Challenges
remain. Our tree canopy remains threatened by emerald ash borer and
extreme weather such as the 2011 tornado in north Minneapolis. Asian
carp are a major threat to the Mississippi River and connected
watersheds.